Oprah Winfrey Responds to the Maui Wildfire Fundraiser Backlash With a Reaction We Kind of Expected
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Oprah Winfrey wants everyone to know that she heard the criticism that she and Dwayne Johnson received for their Maui wildfire fundraiser loudly and clearly, but she doesn’t necessarily understand it. The billionaire aired her frustration on CBS Mornings on Tuesday where she finally responded to the negative feedback.
Winfrey defended her $5 million contribution, along with Johnson’s $5 million donation, to the People’s Fund of Maui by explaining (again) the idea for the charity. “So this idea came about because I was on the ground, talking to lots of people, trying to figure out how I can best help,” she said. It was her BFF Gayle King who brought up Dolly Parton’s method for helping families in Gatlinburg, Tennessee after a similar natural disaster in 2017. “We thought because both of us have given to charities our whole lives, that starting the fund with $10 million would be a great idea,” Winfrey added. “We’ll do what Dolly did, get other people to give money, and then we’ll put it directly into people’s bank accounts.”
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However, Parton had a fundraising concert instead of pleading with fans for donations — that’s where the big difference comes into play. The media mogul and Johnson did not anticipate the reaction that was coming their way. “I was so excited. I was so excited about it,” Winfrey revealed, “And then I got up the next morning, and I saw all of this vitriol, and I was, like, ‘Whoa, what happened here?'” They should have followed Parton’s plan step-by-step and not veered off course. It’s hard for people to hear that a billionaire and a multi-millionaire want the average person to contribute.
The backlash took the wind out of Winfrey’s sails a bit and noted that it’s “sad we’re in this state in our country.” Yet she doesn’t seem to understand that her tremendous wealth puts her in a safe bubble which protects her from a tough economy. Even though she and Johnson were trying to take action and make a difference, fans want to see them put their large sums of money to work instead of asking for donations.
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